Afghanistan timeline August 2001

August 31, 2001

• In Afghanistan, the Taliban detained non-Afghan staff of the International Assistance Mission[?] in Herat and Jalalabad.
• United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the Taliban to assure the security of humanitarian personnel in Afghanistan.

August 30, 2001

• Iran complained to the United Nations that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban had raised border tensions by deploying soldiers seizing a kiosk on August 27.

August 29, 2001

• The captain of the MS Tampa, carrying 438 asylum seekers (420 from Afghanistan), declared a state of emergency and proceeded to enter Australian territorial waters, despite Australian government orders not to. The Australian government responded by dispatching Australian troops to board the ship and prevent it from approaching any further to Christmas Island. The MS Tampa captain was instructed to move the ship back into international waters[?]. He refused. The Norwegian government warned the Australian government not to seek to force the ship to return to international waters against the captain's will. The Australian government tried to persuade Indonesia to accept the asylum seekers; Indonesia refused. The refugees were loaded onto an Australian Navy vessel. Most were transported to the small island country of Nauru and the rest to New Zealand.
• Taliban soldiers returned to Iran a border kiosk that they had seized on August 27.

August 27, 2001

• Taliban soldiers entered Iran and seized a border kiosk. Flooded by hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees, Iran had started deporting Afghans, accusing many of drug dealing.

August 26, 2001

• 438 asylum seekers (420 from Afghanistan) were saved from a sinking Indonesian vessel by the MS Tampa. The captain planned to take the asylum seekers to Indonesia, but the asylum seekers aparently threatened the captain and allegedly said they would jump overboard unless they were taken to Australia, prompting the captain set sail for Christmas Island instead. The Australian government however refused permission for the ship to enter Australia's territorial waters.

August 5, 2001

• Taliban troops arrested six foreign aid workers with Shelter Now International[?] on charges of spreading Christianity. The offices of Shelter Now were also seized.

August 3, 2001

• Dayna Curry[?] and Heather Mercer were arrested at the home of an Afghan family and accused of teaching Christianity.